If you shoot at night then you’re always on the lookout for the best thermal imaging scopes for hunting or tactical use. Thermal optics have become the go to choice for many shooters, as their prices have dropped drastically over the last few years. In this article I’m going to cover the best thermal imaging scopes, with the highest resolution, and state of the art features. Keep reading for more.
Thermal imaging devices have become more popular in recent years, largely due to the fact that they have dropped in price, and size. In a galaxy far far away, as a young Marine, I can remember being given a thermal to lug around on a training exercise. I was informed that that particular optic cost over $40,000, and I had better not lose it.
In that exercise we were going to use the optic to spot enemy forces at night. I figured that a $40,000 optic would basically make me Predator, able to spot heat signatures through dense tree cover. I can’t tell you how wrong I was. While it did allow me to see in complete darkness, the image quality was very low.
The thermal imager also had a very poor battery life, as it required a unit to chill the thermal core. That chiller also had the added benefit of making a loud whining noise when in use. I might have been able to see the bad guys, but they could also hear me!
I used that thermal imager in 2010. You can now buy a better thermal vision device for about $700 dollars today. It will certainly have a much better ability to see temperature differences. Take a quick look below at the thermal scopes we will be reviewing in this article.
Best Thermal Imaging Scopes for Hunting / Tactical Use
- InfiRay Outdoor Rico RS 75HD 1280×1024 Thermal Weapon Sight
- Trijicon Electro Optics IR-HUNTER Type 2 3x60mm
- Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF XL50 1.75-14x50mm
- N-Vision Optics NOX-18 1-8x18mm Thermal Monocular
- Trijicon Electro Optics IR PATROL M300W
To be perfectly clear, these thermal weapon sights aren’t cheap. This is a list of the best thermal imaging devices currently available. If you’re looking for some great budget options you can find that list here. You can also find a list of great traditional night vision optics here as well.
Before we get into the details of these 5 best thermal imaging scopes for hunting and tactical use, we need to review what metrics we should judge them by. Because thermals are quite a bit different than any other optic, it’s important to understand which features you need, and which are needless marketing hype, like crazy color palettes.
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Key Thermal Optic Features
One of the most important features of thermal optics for hunters, and tactical users, is the resolution. The higher the resolution, the more detail you can see, even in total darkness. This allows you to identify targets at extended range, and see important detail that might affect your decision to shoot.
As you might imagine, higher resolution optics are more expensive. Check out the list below for the most common resolution ranges for thermal optics.
- 160 x 120 entry level thermal resolution ($800-1400)
- 320 x 240 mid range thermal resolution ($1100-2000)
- 384 x 288 mid to high thermal resolution ($1600-3000)
- 640 x 480 high thermal resolution ($3000-6000)
- 1024 x 768 high definition thermal resolution ($8000+)
- 1280 x 1024 state of the art resolution ($15000+)
It’s worth noting that this is the sensor resolution. Occasionally some manufacturers will quote a higher resolution for the display screen, which is nice, but not as important as the sensor resolution. Any resolution higher than what the sensor collects is simply a nice extra, it’s not super important. Next let’s talk about an important feature that affects ease of use, the refresh rate.
Best Thermal Imaging Scopes: Refresh Rate
Refresh rate is simply the amount of times per second the optic shows you an image. Movie aficionados know that most films are shown at 24 frames per second. This frame rate is needed to show realistic motion.
The majority of thermal optics will display at least 30Hz, or thirty times per second. Anything slower than this, and it starts to look like an elementary school flip book, very laggy.
Hunters and tactical shooters that have to track moving targets, will want to find an optic with an increased refresh rate. Most optics on this list feature a 60Hz refresh rate. This is about double what a human eye needs to see for motion. It will allow you to follow movements much more smoothly.
Just like sensor resolution, refresh rate is important, but it alone does not make an optic a good choice for your specific needs. We’ll review a few practical considerations next.
Practical Considerations for Thermal Devices
Provided you purchase an optic with decent resolution, and above 30Hz refresh rate, you’ll find that you have something that will allow you to engage any target you need, out to several hundred yards or more.
Another important factor for longer range shooting is objective lens size. You can have a high resolution sensor, with a great refresh rate, but still have a hard time finding your target because your field of view is tiny. Having a larger objective lens size will allow you to see a wider field of view, at any magnification level.
Best Thermal Imaging Scopes: Battery Life
This is a bigger deal for most users than you might think. Some budget optics only have an hour or two of usable time. These optics tend to have a much longer run time, with some around 10 hours or so. It’s also important to know if the optic has a rechargeable internal battery or if it runs on disposable CR123 batteries.
For most users you will want at least 4-6 hours of runtime. Otherwise you’ll find that it becomes a hassle to keep it up and running. Lastly, we’ll talk about mounting.
Best Thermal Imaging Scopes: Mounting and Uses
These optics are expensive, especially if you look at the highest quality options on the list. For most users it will be the most expensive part of their hunting or tactical equipment. Because of this, I think it makes sense to purchase an optic that can be used for as many applications as possible.
For this list of the 5 best thermal imaging scopes, you’ll find that many of them are dedicated rifle sights. They have built in reticles and they mount on Picatinny rail, where they will live as the rifles sole optic.
However, there are several options on this list that are clip on thermal sights. They will allow you to mount them in front of your current day time optic. Similarly, some of them also allow you to use them as a helmet mounted monocular, should you desire.
I like these types of sights because they allow you a lot more flexibility with a very expensive optic. If you already have a nice rifle, and nice scope, then it doesn’t make sense not to use that setup. Just get a clip on to go in front, and you can use the same set up day or night.
Having a helmet mounted option also works well for hunters and tactical users who don’t need to aim through the optic, but want to use it for moving in darkness, or spotting their targets in low / no light situations.
Now that we’ve covered some of the basic features of industry standard thermal imaging technology, let’s get to the list.
5 Best Thermal Imaging Scopes for Hunting / Tactical Use
In this section we’ll review each piece of equipment. I’ll cover some of the most important features, as well as some of the drawbacks. Many of these scopes have different options. I recommend following the links to see if there are different versions that you might like better.
Now let’s get to the first option on our list, which is the first in the latest generation of high definition thermal optics.
InfiRay Outdoor Rico RS 75 HD
The InfiRay Outdoor Rico RS 75HD 1280 x 1024 Thermal Weapon Sight was the first commercially available optic that had a 1280×1024 sensor. As you might imagine, this is one of the sharpest, most detailed, thermal weapon sights that you can purchase.
This thermal sight features a 30hz refresh rate, with a 2-16x magnification level. The display screen is double the resolution of the sensor at 2056×2056 pixels. Amazingly this unit has a detection range of 3600 yards. Check out this video below for a great review
If we look at some of the more practical considerations, we can see that this InfiRay weighs 45 ounces, and mounts to your rifle via Picatinny rail. It has a very large 75mm objective lens, which is great for longer distance shooting, as you will have a nice field of view.
The RS 75 comes with two battery packs that last 4 hours a piece. Moreover, it has a host of secondary features that can be quite useful as well. It has onboard audio and video recording, with an included 128 gigabyte storage capacity. Effectively this turns it into a thermal imaging camera with an easy image capture function.
As I see it the only two drawbacks to this unit are the 30hz refresh rate, and the price. As of this writing the RS75 from InfiRay costs $15,999. But hey, it does come with a 5 year warranty, so there’s that. Next we’ll cover a great option for hunters, and tactical shooters.
Trijicon Electro Optics IR Hunter
The Trijicon Electro Optics IR-HUNTER Type 2 3x60mm is a rugged do it all thermal weapon sight for those that need to shoot moving targets. It has a 640×480 sensor with a 60hz refresh rate. The IR Hunter has a 3x optical zoom and an 8x digital zoom. This means you can crank it up to 24x zoom, which is great for long range shooting.
The IR Hunter does run on CR123 batteries. They provide about 4 hours of run time. Interestingly enough it does have a built in USB-C port which allows you to power the unit through an external battery pack if you need to run it for longer durations. Check out this video for more details.
Like all Trijicon products, the IR-Hunter is built to take some abuse. It’s operating temperature is -25 F to 122F. It’s also submersible up to 1 meter of water. It mounts via Picatinny and weighs in at 40 ounces.
As far as the drawbacks, it does have a narrower field of view, at 7 degrees. The InfiRay RS 75 had a 12 degree field of view. As of this writing you can purchase this unit for $7880, which is certainly cheaper than the RS75. Next we’ll talk about one of the best thermals currently available.
Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF XL50
The Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF XL50 1.75-14x50mm (Amazon Affiliate Link) is the flagship model for Pulsar, and it can do just about anything you want a thermal to do. It has a very high-resolution display with a 1024×768 sensor, which is the second highest on this list.
The XL50 has a 50Hz refresh rate, and a wide 14 degree field of view which is great for shooting at long distances. It’s base level of magnification is 1.75x and it tops out at 14x. This allows for a detection range of 2500 yards. However, the real story is in the software.
The XL50 has an integrated laser rangefinder that inputs data into a stored ballistic calculator. This can give you automatic shooting solutions through their app. You can also live stream thermal images directly to their mobile app via wi-fi connectivity. Check this video out.
As you can see there are several different thermal appearance options available. Gone are the days when you had black hot or white hot only! They also have an integrated picture in picture mode that lets you retain awareness of the full field of view, and zoom in to a target in the small picture screen. You can see that in the video.
The XL50 has a built in battery, and a user swappable battery, which provides a minimum of 10 hours of runtime on a single charge. That’s a very long time. They also produce batteries with alignment indentations that allow you to install a fresh battery in low-light conditions by feel. No flashlight needed!
The XL50 also supports video recording as well. As of this writing, Amazon has the best price at just under $7000. While I don’t want to use the term bargain, I don’t think you can get more features in a thermal optic for this price. Next we’ll talk about one of the best thermal monoculars that doubles as a weapon sight.
N-Vision Optics NOX-18
The N-Vision Optics NOX-18 1-8x18mm Thermal Monocular is one of the most compact thermals on this list. It features a 640×480, 60hz sensor. The Nox 18 has an 18mm objective lens which is small compared to the others on this list, but it has to be.
It is designed to be mounted on your rifle, used as a hand held monocular, or mounted to your helmet via a dovetail mount. This allows you to decide exactly how you need to run the optic. Because of its small size, this optic features several reticle options, with only digital zoom up to 8x. Check this video out.
Where the NOX 18 really shines is its size. It weighs only 17 ounces, depending on configuration, and is a measly 6.4 inches in length. This device is listed as waterproof and has a 7+ hour runtime with the included 18650 rechargeable battery. It can run off of 123s as well for added flexibility.
For those who need even more run time, and expect to wear it helmet mounted, it does accept an external battery pack, powered via USB-C. As of this writing you can purchase the NOX 18 for $6200, which is a good price for something this flexible. Next let’s review our last optic on this list of the best thermal imaging scopes.
Trijicon Electro Optics IR Patrol M300W
The Trijicon Electro Optics IR PATROL M300W is another great do it all option that can be rifle mounted or helmet mounted. The IR Patrol features a 640×480 sensor, with a 60hz refresh rate. It also includes some interesting options that the other optics do not.
Depending on how you order it, the different models can be purchased with a flip mount, helmet mount, or all of the above. If you order just the rifle flip mount you can pick this optic up for $5800, which is the best value on the list. Check this video out.
Like the NOX, this is only digital zoom, up to 8x. It weighs 16 ounces, with a 19mm objective lens. Unlike some other options on the list, it has edge detection which highlights the outlines of objects. This can keep you from losing your eye’s dark adaptation by not blasting bright light in your eye.
The battery life is up to 3.5 hours running off of CR123s. Moreover, it’s listed as waterproof to 1 meter. This is one of the best options for tactical users, or someone who expects to move the optic from head mounted to rifle often.
Now that we’ve covered the 5 best thermal imaging scopes for hunting and tactical use, I’m going to give you my final thoughts, and recommendations.
Final Thoughts
If you plan on shooting at 300 plus yards, and want the absolute best image clarity, then you’re looking at the InfiRay. For most folks needing to shoot at longer distances, you’d be better off with the Pulsar. It has nearly as much detail, and a higher refresh rate. It also has the most innovative software on this list.
For those that don’t want to have a dedicated thermal scope, I think the Trijicon IR patrol is your best bet. It’s the cheapest option and you can order it with whichever combination of mounts you need. It’s also very compact for helmet mounted users.
For those of you like me who wince a little when the price is revealed, don’t forget there are some great budget options on this list. Unless you’re a professional hunter, or tactical user, you can probably do just as well with something that costs $1500 as you could with a $15000 dollar option.
If you have any comments or questions about the best thermal imaging scopes, put them below, and I’ll get you an answer. Now get out there and get shooting! Don’t forget to join the email list below, so you don’t miss out on any more articles.
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